Hot Links Address Book Chapter 01 Interested in the current status of companies mentioned in our book’s examples? Get business headlines, reports on individual businesses, and industry overviews at Hoover’s, Inc., http://www.hoovers.com Knowledge gives businesses a competitive edge. Brint.com, a business technology portal, offers insight into how companies are turning themselves into knowledgebased organizations, http://www.brint.com Be inspired by reading stories of up-and-coming entrepreneurs in Entrepreneur magazine, http://www.entrepreneur.com What makes a company good to work for or most admired? Find out by checking Fortune’s special lists at http://www.fortune.com Which country has the largest GDP? the most people? The answer is at http://www.zurich-base-line.com Get the scoop on the latest technology trends affecting our lives from News.com, CNET’s news portal at http://www.news.com; for product reviews, how-tos, and price comparisons, visit its sister site http://cnet.com Fast Company bills itself as a magazine for a new, bold generation of businesses. Find out how businesses are approaching the future at http://www.fastcompany.com
Chapter 02 The Federal Reserve Board issues a variety of statistical information about the state of the U.S. economy. Find it at the Federal Reserve’s site by clicking on the Economic Research and Data link: http://www.federalreserve.gov Where does the federal government get its money, and where does it go? Learn about the federal budget at the Office of Management and Budget Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb Want to know the current public debt per citizen, or even what it was in 1790? Go to http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov and click on The Public Debt. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis tracks national and regional economic statistics, including the GDP. To find the latest GDP statistics, visit the BEA at http://www.bea.doc.gov How are the job prospects in your area? Your region’s unemployment statistics can give you an idea of how hard it will be to find a job. Find the most recent unemployment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics at http://www.bls.gov Where does the consumer price index stand today? Go to http://stats.bls.gov/cpi How do the PPI and the CPI differ? Get the answers to this and other questions about the PPI by visiting the Bureau of Labor Statistics PPI site at http://www.bls.gov/ppi
Chaapter 03 Find out which companies test their products on animals and which don’t in the campaign section of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Web site, http://www.peta.org How is the International Business Ethics Institute working to promote business ethics worldwide? Find out at http://www.business-ethics.org Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has always taken its responsibilities as a corporate good citizen seriously. Learn about the company’s positions on various issues and products that support social issues at its Web site, http://www.benjerry.com Discover what the Texas Instruments employee “Ethics Quick Test” includes, as well as the company’s overall ethics policies, by searching for “Ethics at TI” on the corporate home page, http://www.ti.com What does IBM Corp require from its employees in terms of ethical business conduct? It’s all presented in the Conduct Principles you will find on IBM’s Web site, under Corporate Responsibility—Our Company—Management System—Global Employment Standards, http://www.ibm.com Levi Strauss’ unique corporate culture rewards and recognizes employee achievement. To learn about its Employee Community Involvement Program, go to the Levi Strauss Web site at http://www.levistrauss.com Want to see how the global environment is changing and learn the latest about global warming? Check out http://www.climatehotmap.org General Motors is committed to continuous improvement in product, environmental, social, and economic performance. Check out GM’s Performance Scorecard at http://www.gm.com Before donating to any charity, check out its credentials at http://charitywatch.org Learn how U.S. businesses gain competitive advantage through corporate social responsibility programs at the Business for Social Responsibility site, http://www.bsr.org
Chapter 04 A good starting place for help in doing business in foreign markets is the U.S. government’s export portal. Here you will find links to export basics, regulations, exchange rates, country and industry research, and much more. http://www.export.gov For links to a wealth of statistics on world trade, go to the U.S. International Trade Administration’s (ITA) Office of Trade and Economic Analysis Web site, http://www.ita.doc.gov Check out the current U.S. balance of trade with various countries at http://www.bea.doc.gov Get up-to-the-minute exchange rates at http://www.xe.com The World Trade Organization tracks the latest trade developments between countries and regions around the world. For the most recent global trading news, visit the WTO’s Web site at http://www.wto.org Gain additional insight into the workings of the International Monetary Fund at http://www.imf.org For the latest information about NAFTA, visit http://www.nafta-customs.org
Think you’d like to work overseas? For information about jobs in foreign countries, visit http://www.internationaljobs.com
Chapter 05 Which Fortune 500 company had the biggest revenue increase? The highest profits? The highest return to investors? What is the largest entertainment company? Get all the details on U.S. companies at http://www.fortune.com/fortune500 Confused about the differences between regular corporations, S corporations, and LLCs? Compare these three business structures at http://www.4inc.com Did you know U.S. cooperatives serve some 120 million members, or 4 in 10 Americans? For more co-op statistics, check the National Cooperative Business Association Web site at http://www.ncba.org Combine your sweet tooth with your good business sense by owning a candy franchise. Indulge yourself by finding out the requirements for owning a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise at http://www.rmcf.com Get an international perspective on mergers and acquisitions in health care, media, and information technology at http://www.broadview.com Want to know what’s hot and what’s not in franchising? Improve your chances for success at http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchisezone
Chapter 06 Do you have a great business idea? Taking the quiz at http://www.edwardlowe.org, the Edward Lowe Foundation’s Web site, will help you determine how feasible the idea is. At the Wall Street Journal’s Startup Journal, http://www.startupjournal.com, you’ll find everything you need to know about starting, financing, and running a business, as well as a searchable database of businesses for sale. What makes you think you’ll be a successful entrepreneur? Taking the Entrepreneurial Test at http://www.sba/gov will help you determine the strength of your entrepreneurial qualities. Before your business travels to foreign shores, pay a visit to the SBA’s Office of International Trade to learn the best ways to enter global markets at http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/oit How can you find qualified overseas companies to buy your products? Find out how BuyUSA.com can help you become part of an e-marketplace at http://www.buyusa.com If you are considering starting a business at home, you’ll find tips and advice at the American Association of Home-Based Businesses Web site, http://www.aahbb.org To learn about the services the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency provides for small-business owners, check out http://www.mbda.gov
Chapter 07 How does a company translate its mission statement into company action? Find out at Ben & Jerry’s home page at http://www.benjerry.com Visit the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) at http://www.iblf.org to discover what today’s international business leaders are focusing on. To learn more about how firms develop contingency plans for all sorts of crises, visit Contingency Planning magazine’s Web site at http://www.contingencyplanning.com Who are the leaders of this year’s Inc. 500, and what do they have to say about their success? Find out at the Inc. 500 site at http://www.inc.com Want to learn more about Bill Gates’ management style? Go to his personal Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/billgates to read his official biography, speeches, and other information. Learn all about the greatest American business leaders of the 20th century at Harvard Business School’s Web site, http://www.hbs.edu Most successful managers work hard at continually updating their managerial skills. One organization that offers many ongoing training and education programs is the American Management Association. Visit its site at http://www.amanet.org Search Questia’s online library http://www.questia.com for leadership resources. You’ll be able to preview a wide variety of books, journals, and other materials.
Chapter 08 Like corporations, government agencies have organization charts, too. Learn how the Department of Health and Human Services is structured at http://www.hhs.gov/ about/orgchart.html Evaluate your own leadership skills by taking several of the management quizzes at HumanLinks.com, http://www.humanlinks.com Find teambuilding resources galore, from team building activities and training exercises to guidance in solving team problems, at Teambuilding, Inc,’s supersite, http://www.teambuildinginc.com To read articles on current best practices in outsourcing for both buyers and providers, and find other outsourcing resources, visit http://www.outsourcing.com What benefits can a company gain by using Web-based organizational charting software? Check out the features Peopleboard.com offers companies at http://www.people board. com How can your organization develop better group skills? A good place to start is Management Help’s Group Skills page. Go to http://www.managementhelp.org and click on “Group Skills” for links to resources on many topics, including Self-Directed and Self-Managed Work Teams and virtual teams. MouseTech LLC takes a novel approach to the virtual corporation concept, as you will see from its Web site, http://www.moustech.net. Read its company profile at the page about virtual corporations.
Chapter 09 Does TeamStaff, a professional employer organization, live up to its motto “Simply a better way to employ people”? Find out at http://www.teamstaff.com
Search the extensive job database of CareerBuilder.com (http://www.careerbuilder.com) for a job in a new city. Get advice for brushing up your interview skills at the Job Hunting Advice page of the Wall Street Journal’s Career site, http://careers.wsj.com How does the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission promote equal opportunity in employment? Visit http://www.eeoc.gov to learn what the agency does. For the latest news in the human resources field, visit the Web site of the Society for Human Resource Management at http://www.shrm.org Many companies are using the Web to help manage employees. Visit ADP, http://www.adp.com, to learn how online services can streamline their HR tasks. At the NLRB Web site, http://www.nlrb.gov, you’ll learn about the agency’s many activities and how it protects workers’ rights. Visit the Social Security Administration site to track the latest cost-of-living adjustment at http://www.ssa.gov. You’ll find it in the publications section.
Chapter 10 What makes a company a good place to work? Find out by reading about the companies on Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” by visiting http://www.fortune.com Expand your knowledge about motivation in the workplace at Accel-Team’s site, http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/index.html How do you keep employees satisfied? The Business Research Lab has a series of tips and articles, which you’ll find at http://busreslab.com For many resources to help motivate, reward, and retain employees, visit About.com’s page, http://humanresources.about.com/od/motivationrewardretention Wish you could have flexible hours? For advice on making this wish come true, visit About.com’s Career Planning page on flextime, http://careerplanning.about.com/ od/flextime ASTD is a professional association and leading resource on workplace learning and performance issues. Visit its site, http://www.astd.org, to learn more about these topics. How does the Good-Buy network help companies offer work-life benefits? Find out at http://www.goodbuynetwork.com/aboutus.html
Chapter 11 See how American Leather brings it all together to create beautiful customized couches at http://www.americanleather.com What characteristics contribute to a city’s manufacturing climate? Find out by reading more at Industry Week’s Web site: http://www.industryweek.com How do companies decide whether to make or buy? Find out more at the Outsourcing Institute, a professional association where buyers and sellers network and connect: http://www.outsourcing.com Learn how to build your own Gantt Chart at http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/ newPPM_03.htm What does it take to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award? Get the details at http://www.quality.nist.gov
Want to know more about how robots work? Find out at http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/robot.htm
Chapter 12 What’s the latest in customer loyalty programs? For the answer, do a search for “loyalty programs” at SearchCRM.com, http://searchcrm.techtarget.com Considering a career in marketing? Read articles about different marketing topics of interest and visit the Marketing Jobs and Career Services and Student Resources areas at the American Marketing Association site, http://www.marketingpower.com What’s different about business-to-business marketing? Find out at the Business Marketing Association site, http://www.marketing.org How satisfied are American consumers today? The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is an economic indicator based on modeling of customer evaluations. Find the latest survey results at http://www.theacsi.org A good place to learn more about marketing research is Quirks Marketing Research Review, where you’ll find articles and links to major marketing research firms: http://www.quirks.com For links to numerous marketing research sites, start at ResearchInfo.com: http://www. researchinfo.com For a quick demographic overview of your home state, check out the Quick Facts page of the U.S. Census Bureau, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/, after which you can click through to the main Census site to access a vast array of census data: http://www.census.gov
Chapter 13 Learn more about branding products and building brand equity at AllAboutBranding.com, http://www.allaboutbranding.com See how one consulting firm helps clients pick the right name by pointing your Web browser to http://www.namebase.com At Brandchannel.com, an online exchange, you’ll find branding success stories, failures, debates, and more: http://www.brandchannel.com Find out how to trademark a design, name, or other identifying mark by visiting the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office at http://www.uspto.gov Curious about how generic and private label products are manufactured? Visit the Private Label Manufacturers Association at http://www.plma.com Protect yourself! The Federal Trade Commission has more information about warranties at http://www.ftc.gov For the latest trends in packaging, visit the Packaging Digest site, http://www.packagingdigest.com Companies are turning to smart-pricing software to improve margins on products. Find out how one company’s software works at Zilliant’s Web site, http://www.zilliant.com If you have ever wondered how manufacturers make certain types of products, this is the site for you! At How Products Are Made, you can find the details on everything from accordians and action figures to zippers, and everything in between:
http://www.madehow.com
Chapter 14 Consumers can now comparison shop like never before. To compare brands, features, and prices of products, go to one of these sites: http://www.bottomdollar.com, http://www.mysimon.com, or http://www.compare.net At the National Retail Federation’s Web site, you’ll find current retail statistics, links to retailing resources, and information about retailing careers: http://www.nrf.com The American Wholesale Marketers Association is an international trade organization for distributors of convenience products in the United States. Visit its Web site to browse the latest issue of Distribution Channels magazine and learn more about this field: http://www.awmanet.org Want to learn more about direct selling? Learn how people become Amway representatives and find out more about the company by visiting http://www.amway.com Stores magazine offers hundreds of ideas for putting together a successful retail strategy: http://www.stores.org Freightworld offers detailed information on various modes of transportation and links to transportation companies: http://www.freightworld.com For articles on supply chain management along with information on the latest technology in the field, check out The Supply Chain Management Review, http://www.manufacturing.net/SCM
Chapter 15 A good site for the latest on interactive and Internet marketing is ClickZ network, where you’ll find news, advice from experts, statistics, feature articles, and more: http://www.clickz.com/news How can you find the right magazine in which to advertise? The MediaFinder Web site has a searchable database of thousands of magazines: http://www.mediafinder.com Which companies are currently the target of consumer complaints about advertising? You’ll find out at the site for the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, http://www.nadreview.org Want to avoid legal problems with your sweepstakes promotions? Find detailed information about advertising and trade regulation law at the site for Arent Fox, a law firm that specializes in this area: http://www.arentfox.com What should a media kit for the press include? 101 Public Relations provides the answer, along with other good information about getting publicity for your company: http://www.101publicrelations.com Advertising Age magazine has a wealth of information about the latest in advertising, including videos and ratings of new ads: http://www.adage.com
Chapter 16 If you want to know the definition of a computer term or more about a particular topic, Webopedia has the answer: http://www.webopedia.com Can’t tell a LAN from a WAN? Learn more about networking at About.com’s Networking pages, http://www.compnetworking.about.com/mbody.htm To find out if that e-mail alerting you to another virus threat is real or a hoax, check out the latest information at http://www.snopes.com How can you “inoculate” your computer against viruses? Symantec’s Security Response has the latest details on virus threats and security issues: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter Darwin.com is an online magazine that offers helpful articles and Executive Guides that provide a good introduction to key IT topics: http://www.darwinmag.com Curious about how companies are using on-demand grid computing? Read the Grid FAQ at the Grid Computing Technology Centre, and then check out some of the many links to other resources. http://www.gridcomputing.com
Chapter 17 What issues is the FASB working on now? Check it out at http://www.fasb.org Two good sites to learn about the latest news in the accounting industry are Electronic Accountant, http://www.electronicaccountant.com and Accounting Web, http://www.accountingweb.com To become more familiar with annual reports and key financial statements, head for IBM’s Investment Guides. The material offers a good overview of financial reporting and shows you what to look for when you read these documents: http://www.ibm.com/investor/tools/financials.phtml To find out more about the accounting profession and becoming a CPA, visit the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Web site at http://www.aicpa.org/ and click on “Students.” The Accounting Library site has a virtual consultant to help companies choose the best accounting applications for their needs. Check it out at http://www.excelco.com/ A comprehensive site with information about careers in accounting, certification programs, internships, and links to many related Web site can be found at: http://accountingmajors.com At their Web sites, you can learn about the types of services the Big Four accounting firms are now offering their clients: http://www.deloitte.com http://www.ey.com http://www.kpmg.com and http://www.pwcglobal.com
Chapter 18 Tour the American Currency Exhibit to learn the history of our nation’s money at http://www.frbsf.org/currency The Web site of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis offers an easy-to-understand explanation of how the Federal Reserve System works, called “In Plain English:” http://www.stls.frb.org/publications/pleng The FDIC gets so many requests about banks’ insurance status that it added an option to determine “Is my bank insured?” on the consumer pages of its Web site. Visit
http://www.fdic.gov What goes on at a Federal Open Market Committee Meeting? Find out by reading the minutes of the Committee’s latest meeting at http://www.federalreserve.gov/fomc Want to know more about the relationship between Congress and the Federal Reserve? Go to http://www.house.gov/jec/fed/fed/fed-impt.htm Find out what other services the Federal Reserve provides to financial institutions at http://www.frbservices.org How did Abraham Lincoln do his banking? Take a cyber-tour of American banking history at http://www.occ.treas.gov/occ140th/history.htm To find out if you’re eligible to join a credit union, visit the Credit Union National Administration’s credit union locator at http://www.creditunion.coop/cu_locator/index.html
Chapter 19 When you come across a finance term you don’t understand, visit the Hypertextual Finance Glossary at http://www.duke.edu/~charvey/classes/wpg/glossary.htm What challenges do today’s financial managers face? To find out, browse through recent issues of CFO magazine at http://www.cfo.com Find an introduction to the types of cash management services banks offer their customers at Centura Bank’s site, http://www.rbccentura.com/business/cashman/index.html Learn about the services and current rates offered by 1st Commercial Credit, a factoring firm, at http://www.1stcommercialcredit.com Which companies are getting funding from venture capital firms? For this and other information, visit vFinance.com at http://www.vfinance.com Learn how Reuters Risk Management Services, at http://risk.reuters.com helps companies with global operations identify, measure, and manage financial risk.
Chapter 20 Start your online exploring at Yahoo! Finance, which offers everything from breaking business and world news to stock research, portfolio tracking tools, and educational articles, at http://finance.yahoo.com The Motley Fool is a favorite site for both novice and experienced investors. What can you learn at the Fool’s School today? Go to its Web site at: http://www.fool.com You’ll find a minicourse on different types of bonds at http://www.investinginbonds.com What is the current level of outstanding Treasury securities? Find out at the Bureau of the Public Debt site, http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov How much is currently invested in mutual funds? In ETFs? The Investment Company Institute tracks these figures on a monthly basis at http://www.ici.org MoneyChimp.com strives to educate investors by offering clear, practical articles on a complete range of finance and investing topics, including investment basics, understanding annual reports, stock valuation, and more: http://www.moneychimp.com Quickly find the latest news for different stock markets around the world at http://quotes.
nasdaq.com/asp/globalmarkets.asp Thinking of investing in a particular company? Go to the SEC’s Web site to access the EDGAR database of the financial reports filed by all public companies with the SEC: http://www.sec.gov